• WBS London to grow at London's most iconic building
  • Warwick Business School to increase base at The Shard by 50 per cent
  • Moving into 13th floor will allow school to widen executive programme
  • Dean hails The Shard as an inspirational learning environment

Warwick Business School is expanding its WBS London base at The Shard by agreeing to extend onto the 13th floor.

WBS opened its operations in London in 2015 when it took over half of the 17th floor at The Shard and from where it has run its Executive MBA and Doctor of Business Administration course for executives, with the MSc Central Banking & Financial Regulation also taught exclusively for Bank of England staff and graduates there.

Moving into the 13th floor will see WBS expand its footprint at The Shard by 50 per cent.

Andy Lockett, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship and Dean of WBS, said: “We picked The Shard as our London base because it’s an iconic building located at the heart of London.

“It has proved to be the perfect base - exceptional transport links make it easy to access and we have light, inspiring spaces that create the perfect learning environment.

Related course: Executive MBA (London)

“We are delighted we can grow within the building to accommodate the expansion of our executive programme.”

After transforming 12,150 sq ft of office space on level 17 into two state-of-the-art lecture theatres, seminar rooms and an IT laboratory, WBS is now taking a further 6,342 sq ft on the 13th floor to house a second lecture theatre and more seminar rooms.

Designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano and opened in July 2012, The Shard is just minutes from the City, the financial capital of the world, and has been instrumental in the transformation of the London Bridge Quarter, with the redevelopment of the adjacent London Bridge Station set to add more links and accessibility to a growing area of the capital.

WBS expansion sees The Shard's offices now fully let

The school’s expansion into level 13 also means The Shard’s offices are now fully let, realising the late Irvine Sellar’s vision to create a truly vertical city.

James Sellar, Chief Executive Officer of Sellar, developer and co-owner of The Shard, said: “Together with the State of Qatar we have achieved what we set out to deliver: a vibrant and dynamic building that has been both a catalyst and a magnet for further investment in this part of Southwark.

“The Shard has become a global landmark that, against all odds, is recognised as a blueprint for the creation of a European vertical city.

“We have concluded an offices lettings programme that has secured a unique blend of tenants and reflects our objective to produce a building which mirrors the incredible diversity of British business life.”

The Financial Times ranks the Executive MBA at WBS in the world’s top 25 and third in the UK for stand-alone versions of the course, while it rates the school’s executive education custom programme in the global top 50.

Professor Lockett added: “This expansion will allow more people to learn the latest research and thinking in business, management and leadership from one of the most highly-regarded business schools in the world.

“In these uncertain times relentlessly pursuing more knowledge and skills is vital for a modern business and its staff, with continuous improvement allied with a curious and open-minded approach to innovation often at the heart of today’s successful organisations.”